Federal Daily - April 18, 2008
OMB Cracks Down on Misuse of Government Credit Cards
The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo April 15 calling for tighter controls
on the use of government credit cards, to staunch a tide of waste and fraud identified in a General
Accounting Office (GAO) report released earlier this month. The GAO report listed numerous instances
of government-wide misuse of the cards for purchases of inappropriate and often personal items, such
as an iPod and lingerie. Effective June 30, the memo said, OMB will require all agencies to require
their cardholders to get prior approval for even small purchases—and to develop guidance on sanctions,
including removal from service, for those federal employees found to abuse the cards. OMB Director
Jim Nussle reiterated his support for the federal charge card program, noting that by making purchasing
more efficient it saves an estimated $1.8 billion per year. But he warned that, with employees using
federal credit cards to make $27 billion in official purchases, any wasteful or fraudulent purchase “breaches
the trust of the taxpayers as well as diminishes the significant benefits achieved” by the program.
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Bill Would Offer Rewards for Supporting Troops
Volunteers who send overseas care packages to servicemembers or provide support for troops at home
would be rewarded with tax breaks under a two bills introduced April 15 by Rep. Baron Hill, D-Ind.
The bills, designated as the Homefront Heroes Tax Relief Package, would encourage support for the troops
and would specifically recognize those who participate in DoD’s America Supports You (ASU) program.
The first bill would furnish a tax credit of up to $500 for individuals who send ASU care packages
to non-relative soldiers serving in combat zones, Hill said in a statement. The second bill would provide
tax incentives for volunteers who perform service activities—at least 10 hours per week for four
weeks with an ASU-sanctioned organization—for military families who have a soldier deployed overseas. “The
millions of Americans who volunteer to support our soldiers in the field deserve our utmost and sincere
thanks,” Hill said. “Particularly during this time of economic turmoil I think it
is important to make sure we are helping those who are consistently volunteering their time.” To
see more, go to: www.house.gov/apps/list/press/in09_hill/041508b.shtml.
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Bill to Diversify Senior Executive Service Introduced in Committee
A House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee has voted to advance a bill aimed at increasing
the numbers of women and minorities in the Senior Executive Service (SES). The bill, HR 3774, would
create a new unit within the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to accomplish this goal. The proposed
Senior Executive Service Resource Office, as it would be called, would be tasked with improving SES
efficiency, productivity and professionalism, as well as ensuring that agencies recruit from a diverse
pool of qualified candidates. Under the bill, the resource office would make recommendations on the
creation of needed regulations and guidance for agencies on the structure, management and diverse composition
of the SES. The new office also would be responsible for policy development and oversight of the SES
pay system—and for development of standards for certification of each agency's SES performance
management system. As part of a certification process, the new office would evaluate all agency applications
for performance management system certification. To see more, go to: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.R.3774:
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